NHL playoffs in pictures: conference quarter-finals

NHL playoffs in pictures: conference quarter-finals

The best images of the conference quarter-final stage - updated after each round of games - as 16 teams battle to reach the Stanley Cup finals. Featuring the drama of the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins and the surprise of the LA Kings against the Vancouver Canucks

Friday 27 April 2012 02.00 EDT
First published on Friday 27 April 2012 02.00 EDT

Wednesday 11 April: The playoffs open with an astonishing comeback win for the Philadelphia Flyers against the fancied Pittsburgh Penguins. Here Jakub Voracek celebrates his overtime goal to seal a 4-3 victory after trailing 0-3.

The Canucks entered the playoffs with the best regular season record in all of the NHL. But here Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll watches teammate Willie Mitchell's shot get past Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo as the Kings win game one 4-2 in Vancouver.

Thursday 12 April: A classic US vs Canada matchup allows politicians the chance to show their loyalty: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton holds a New York Rangers jersey as Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird holds an Ottawa Senators jersey following a meeting of the G8 foreign ministers at Blair House in Washington. New York won game one 4-2.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart and Nashville Predators right wing Patric Hornqvist, of Sweden, sprawl on the ice after Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard blocked a shot. The Red Wings won 3-2 and tied the series

In game one of the series, Brian Boyle roughed up Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson after a whistle. Ottawa took their revenge in an early melee in Game two. The Senators went on to tie the series with a 3-2 overtime win.

With Pittsburgh already two games down, tensions were running high and even Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby was drawn into the fighting, here tangling with Philadelphia Flyers' Claude Giroux. The Flyers won 8-4 to take a 3-0 series lead.

Victory rats cover the ice following the Florida Panthers win against the New Jersey in their NHL Eastern conference quarterfinal playoff hockey game two in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers won 4-2 to tie the series

Monday 16 April: Brian Boyle has been a key player for New York in the playoff series against the Ottawa Senators: he scored and fought in game one, scored and fought in game two, and then scored the only goal of game three. Rangers lead the series 2-1.

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas waits while arena staff replaces rink glass during Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference Hockey playoff quarter-finals against the Capitals in Washington. The Bruins won 4-3 and now lead the series 2-1. Thomas was taunted by home fans over
his refusal to come to the White House earlier this season.

Tuesday 17 April: Chicago Blackhawks' Marian Hossa is checked by Phoenix Coyotes' Raffi Torres and had to be taken from the ice on stretcher. Hossa was later released from hospital. For the third straight playoff between these teams overtime was needed.
The Coyotes won 3-2 and lead the series 2-1.

Wednesday April 18: Pittsburgh stormed back into the series with a 10-3 victory. Here Jordan Staal scores a first period goal against Ilya Bryzgalov. Two Philadelphia Flyers goalies - Bryzgalov and replacement Sergei Bobrovzki - conceded five goals apiece. Back to Pittsburgh with the series now 3-1 to the Flyers.

The Ottawa Senators' Chris Neil fights Brandon Prust of the Rangers in Game 6 in the Canadian capital. The Rangers won 3-1 to take their playoff series to a seventh-game decider at Madison Square Garden